The invention relates to apparatus for terminating wires by means of an electrical connector comprising first and second portions which can be mated to terminate a wire previously placed between the portions. Such a connector is described for example in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,444. The connector is in the form of an insulating box containing a slotted plate terminal. The box has a lid which can be closed from a fully open position at right-angles to the adjacent wall of the box to force one or more wires, which have previously been positioned across the box with the aid of wire guiding means thereof, into the slots of the slotted plate terminal since the wires must be forced fully home into the slots if a satsifactory electrical connection is to be made, the lid closure force is necessarily high. Since this connector is used in particular for splicing the wires of telephone cables, of which wires there may be several hundred in a single cable, it is of there may be several hundred in a single cable, it is of importance that the apparatus should be capable of rapid application of the connectors and should be simple to use, especially at an inconvenient site such as a manhole or an overhead platform, at which sites telephone cable splicing operations are usually carried out.
Tools for mating two portions of an electrical connector to terminate a wire are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,707,867 and 3,825,987. However, these connectors are in each case supplied to the tool with the two portions of the connector secured in superposed relationship so that all that is required of the tool is to force the two portions together when wires to be spliced have been inserted between the portions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,314,214, 3,511,026 and 3,699,744 disclose apparatus for closing a carton (for containing eggs) in the form of a box having a lid hinged thereto. The lid of the box is closed finally by forcing the box with the lid partially open, beneath a ramp or a resilient pressure member, this being of effect since the carton has but a low closure force. Such apparatus would also be unsuitable for handling connectors of the kind mentioned above, these being only of some 10 .times. 5 .times. 5 mm. in size.
Other prior art which is peripheral, so far as the present invention is concerned is represented by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,942,269; 3,003,376; 3,527,075; 3,578,935 and 3,965,558, as well as German Patent Specification No. 2,538,558.